129 Canton Graduates Look To Future

The Canton High School commencement ceremony for the class of 2015 was held on Friday June 19 in Canton.

(Johnathon Henninger | Special to The Courant)

RACHEL LOMBARDI

CANTON — With nods to tradition, history and baseball, the 129 graduates of Canton High School's Class of 2015 – dressed in red-and-white gowns and decorated mortarboards -- took to their school's softball field Friday night to celebrate their past, and look to the future.

CANTON – With nods to tradition, history and baseball, the 129 graduates of Canton High School's Class of 2015 – dressed in red-and-white gowns and decorated mortarboards -- took to their school's softball field Friday night to celebrate their past, and look to the future.

Speakers highlighted the class' accomplishments, which included breaking athletic records, making strides in the arts, and receiving many academic awards and scholarships.

Principal Andrew DiPippo said he'd met with many of the students individually throughout the year and learned that each had a plan beyond high school. These plans included art school, music school, working, the military, attending community college or other universities.

Valedictorian James Treacy discussed a Little League game he recently attended. It made him reflect, he said, on his last 10 years of playing baseball. But more importantly, he said, he realized how much the game helped him learn about life.

Treacy explained that the bleachers filled with supportive parents and friends represented the family, friends and teachers in one's life that push you along no matter what. The players on the field represented his classmates having fun, sticking together and maintaining a good attitude.

During the Little League game, one team started to gain more runs over the other, but the losing team never gave up. The lesson Treacy had for his fellow graduates was a simple one: "I hope we take the same mentality moving forward even when there are times when things do not go as planned," he said. "The only thing we can control is our actions and never ever give up when a chance still exists."

Salutatorian Jonathan Smith told graduates that their future is not determined how big you are, but rather, "how big you play."

"We may be small in number, we may come from a small town in a small state, but if there's one thing I learned about our class in the 13 years we've been together, it's that we can play big," Smith said.

Ben Kelley and Jacob Tilton, co-presidents, closed out the ceremony with references to more accomplishments, and their status as the "most spirited senior class in history."

"The trend here is clear," Tilton said. "Through actions, a multitude of proper choices, respect for tradition and bold progressive thinking, Canton's Class of 2015 is nothing short of being absolutely historic."